Elections' candidates debate their policies in Japan

Japanese party leaders revealed their major policies at a debate held in Tokyo on Monday in a bid to win national elections on October 31.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to unify the nation damaged by the coronavirus pandemic, by introducing what he described as a new type of capitalism that would raise the basic wages in Japan.

Kishida dissolved the lower house of Parliament last week, paving the way for Japan's first election since the pandemic.

Kishida replaced Yoshihide Suga, who lasted just a year as prime minister.

Suga's support was battered by his perceived high-handed approach in dealing with the coronavirus and insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics despite rising cases.

Voters will decide how Japan faces a potential coronavirus resurgence and revives its battered economy.

The election is a test of whether Kishida's government can emerge from the shadow of the nearly nine years that his conservative party has already held power - which some describe as dominating to the point of muzzling differing views.

IMAGE: AP